Homemade Grilled Pizza

One of the best things about summer is grilling. Okay, maybe THE best thing. I do love to grill year round, but sometimes it’s difficult to trudge through a snow storm to find the grill. Since my husband was a student for years, we never splurged on a nice grill until he graduated. We finally bought a really nice Weber Grill and I read the manual from front to back. Understanding cooking temperature and direct vs. indirect heat has been really useful knowledge. That was nine years ago and she still burning hot!

We like to grill everything from steak to veggies, but one of our favorites is homemade grilled pizza. We love ALL pizza, but in the summertime it is just too hot to crank the oven up to 450 degrees. The grill is ideal and the crust turns out thin and crispy. My favorite! Friday nights are usually pizza nights around here so if you are “just in the neighborhood,” come on over.

The key to homemade grilled pizza toppings is subscribing to the less-is-more principle. Lightly-topped pizzas cook more evenly and transfer from the grill with fewer casualties.

Also, we love homemade grilled pizza dough but practically any pizza dough for homemade grilled pizza will do including frozen dinner roll dough. Trader Joe’s has great fresh pizza dough.

The homemade grilled pizza topping combinations are limitless, but these are a few of our favorites. With 4 kids around here, we always have one or two classic stand-bys and then get to try new concoctions for the second batch. (It usually takes two rounds of grilling to feed a hungry crowd of six.)

In a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment, combine flour and salt.

Gradually pour in the liquid ingredients until the mixture forms a ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Dough should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Knead with for 2-3 minute to knead. This can also be done by hand.